Why would UGA be opposed? McGarity cited logistical as well as other problems, including exposure to liability insurance.

“While it may be a huge revenue generator, what happens if someone has an accident going home and they’ve consumed too much beer in your stadium? It’s hard of a liability (concern). We have enough liability as it is. I’m not so sure we want to undertake another stream of liability,” McGarity said.

Quite sensible. Except I wonder how he rationalizes the drinking that goes on in the suites. Suite Dude doesn’t have a superior metabolism to those sitting in the North Stands. What he likely does have is good insurance. So if the day comes when you take the time to train your beer vendors to card folks, observe their level of inebriation and do all the other things that public venues across America do to limit their exposure, why not go ahead and require your customers to furnish proof of liability insurance?

Yeah, I’m being a little facetious. But it’s hard to take McGarity’s concern about liability that seriously. The truth is that right now, Georgia doesn’t want stadium beer sales. “I just think it’s different cultures, and at West Virginia they obviously feel that’s the best way to handle alcohol consumption. And we just have a different opinion.” At some point, you wonder if the money becomes too attractive to pass up. If that ever happens, you can chalk it up to improving the fans’ experience, right?

No, it won’t be about improving the fan experience. It will be about doing what’s right for the student athlete. Just like all those other reforms. Of course, once they lose O’Bannon, they may simply need the money.

I had a conversation about 10 years ago with someone that had a suite. It goes like this.
1. I don’t think they actually sell alcohol in the suites.
2. Sanford Stadium says you can’t bring alcohol into the stadium on game day but they allow access to the suites
3. You’re allowed to take alcohol to your suite on Friday.
4. My memory isn’t what it used to be so I could have butchered what our conversation about what the rules are. It was also 10 year ago, so the rules could have changed. He was and still is in the South Sky Suites.

So McEquivocate is worried about liability if someone has a beer inside the stadium but is not worried with the fan who overindulges on University property postgame who subsequently takes out a family of four on 316?

The university is not officially sanctioning alcohol consumption on property through the sale of alcohol outside the stadium like it would be if it were sold inside the stadium (assuming you could sell any since it takes 30 minutes to buy a coke at Sanford). It is a distinction, but if the university is turning a blind eye to overconsumption on campus property and I am the survivor of an horrific accident resulting from said overconsumption, I am going after the deep pockets….

Which begs the question, do we have an official tailgate policy to limit liability? I couldn’t find one through googling, but this is what I found for the University of Montana:

In conjunction with The University of Montana home football games, tailgate parties in the University’s parking lots and fields near Washington-Grizzly Stadium are permitted.

The Following Restrictions Apply:

•Alcohol service may begin no earlier than two hours prior to kick-off.
•Alcohol service and consumption is prohibited after half-time.
•Tailgate parties are to be private parties only. Individual(s) hosting the party who fail to adhere to this requirement will be subject to possible sanctions by UM Intercollegiate Athletics and the Missoula County Health Department.
•Tailgate party hosts must monitor service of alcohol and may not serve alcohol to minors (under age 21). Unattended alcohol will be confiscated.
•Tailgate parties held in the Kirkland Memorial Grove, Riverbowl South, Campus Drive, Van Buren Street, 5th and 6th Streets must have a tailgate/parking permit purchased through the Office of Events Coordinator, Internal Operations Office (406) 243-2233. A fee is assessed for tailgate and RV permits. The fee is intended to cover normal setup and cleanup activities. However, any significant damages to the grounds, sprinkling systems, lighting systems, or trees will be repaired by Facilities Services and the cost will be the responsibility of the tailgate permit holder.
•Small private tailgate parties (20 people or fewer) may be held, without a tailgate permit, in University parking lots and contiguous grassy areas in the immediate vicinity of Washington Grizzly Stadium only, to wit: lots A, F, L, M, M-1, N, P, R, T, U, V, W, Y, and Z.
•No organization, business or individual, except the Grizzly Scholarship Association, may sell or offer for public consumption, beer or other alcoholic beverages on campus in conjunction with home football games.
•No organization, business, or individual may offer on campus any food or nonalcoholic beverages for public consumption or for sale (including “donations”) in conjunction with The University of Montana home football games without prior written approval of the Athletic Director or designee.
•Groups holding tailgate parties are responsible for providing their own designated drivers.
•Individuals, groups, and organizations holding or participating in tailgate parties are responsible for their own conduct and are expected to respect the rights of others and the entire University community.
•At its discretion, the University may terminate tailgate parties, or take other appropriate action against individuals, groups, or organizations whose conduct at tailgate parties is irresponsible, unreasonable, or inconsistent with University policies and regulations, ordinances or laws.

I understand the paranoia over liability given the litigious climate we all live in but, unless alcohol served in Sanford Stadium has a unique “DNA marker” of some sort, how does a jury hold UGA responsible? Proper training programs, limits on purchases, security observations, etc., could make a juror have doubts about where the defendant purchased all of his alcohol. Which bar? Which restaurant? Which tailgate? Did they spike drinks with their own supply? I say let it rip, the service at Sanford is so slow it could serve as a defense itself. Add to it the pricing and I doubt many football fans will over indulge Sanford’s supply…except maybe at those cupcake games that so few care about. We should be holding the individual accountable and not the establishment (s) anyway.

Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t many of the people working the concessions at Sanford volunteers? They are often wearing ID’s from some youth group or Boy Scout troop or some such thing. So selling beer would actually require McGarity to spend money to hire additional staff and actually train that staff. Something I’m sure he’d rather not do. It’s not like there has been a whole lot of attention paid to the fan experience inside the stadium in the last decade or so. I doubt he wants to start now. That might deplete the reserve fund.

I doubt they would hire additional staff. They would likely have fewer of the clubs and organizations that do this now involved and replace them with a skilled labor force. The downside for them is the organizations get money from UGA for working the concession stands. The upside would be better/quicker service so I can actually get a coke and bottle of water in less than a half time.

Beer would not be sold at all concession stands is my guess. I would take that on as a project for a percentage of the gross and not charge him a dime. “Hey, get yo cold beah!!” “Make the three sign and ask the man for Ballentine” I have all the lingo down, except, “Want change for the fifty?”

I very seriously doubt “suite dude” would have a higher tolerance than most anyone I have ever seen sitting in the east end zone…some of those dudes have been elevated the consumption of Jim Beam, to that of an art form.

I am glad that they don’t serve beer I have ended up wearing someone else’s coke and beer would be worse. No lids or tops makes this an issue.

Bloviation for the Dawgnation

Quote Of The Day

“It brings back a great Bulldog running back in Thomas who has NFL playing experience and has had success as a college coach at multiple schools. He also inherits a position that has been built to an elite level by Bryan. And it gives Bryan the opportunity to return to coaching the position he played and the one where he cut his teeth serving as a graduate assistant under wide receiver coach John Eason here at UGA. It also provides him with a new experience as a passing game coordinator.” -- Mark Richt, AB-H, 2/16/15